France is my next port of call

by Michael Blackburn on 10 Apr 2004 I’ve just returned home after finishing the Laser Radial Worlds in Brisbane. I thought it would be a light to moderate wind regatta but it blew five days out of six.

With the help of a significant body weight advantage over most of the fleet, plus some familiarity with the venue, I won the regatta easily. Second was last year’s champion Aron Lolic from Croatia with Tom Slingsby third.

Tom and I were even for the first four days of the regatta. On the first day we were in the same fleet (the 130 boats were split into two fleets for Round Robin races before the top half qualified for Gold fleet for the finals), and we both scored a 1st and 2nd each in the two races.

For the next three days we were in different fleets and each won five races in a row in moderate to fresh winds.

Then came the finals and the only real light wind day of the regatta. It proved to be the day which would make the difference. In the first race Tom sailed well, coolly moving through the fleet to cross the line first with me following in 6th.

Shortly after finishing, however, Tom saw that his number was up on the blackboard on the committee boat as being over the start line early and so scored maximum points.

To be sure not to do another ‘Thorpie’, Tom had to take the next start conservatively, but in light winds this is a risky strategy as well, because it’s much harder to make up ground from behind.

Meanwhile, a hole opened up for me in the last few seconds before the start of the same race and I slipped through it, sailing quickly into clear air and rounded each mark in front for the win.

The wind returned for the final day and I rounded it off nicely with another two 1sts.

I’ve never been a World Champion in anything, so marvel in the fact that I am now. Of course, bigger tasks await me in the next few weeks.

In the lead up to the full-rig Laser Worlds will be the Hyeres Grade 1 regatta, and since it is only two weeks before the Worlds, it should attract a worlds-quality fleet.

For the moment, that is a world away, as I enjoy a couple of days off!

I fly out on the 19th April to France.

Happy Easter